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Northern Tribes
The Northern Tribes is the common name for a grouping of human tribes living on the ice sheets of Northern Etan. The tribes live beyond the city of Ruskar, towards the Sea of Moving Ice. The people of the Northern tribes are known to have a strong affinity for nature and ice magic. History Prehistory and Myths The various northern tribes all have different accounts although the common ground is that some time before recorded history, the ancestors of the various tribes fled to the far north of Etan, fleeing something referred to as 'The Burning Beast'. The details of this beast are long lost. Ruskar and Rebellion Following the formation of Ruskar to the east of the ice sheets, there were several clashes between the peoples of the Northern Tribes and the armies of Ruskar. Ruskar was able to supress the Northern Tribes with their superior numbers and technology. After years of oppression, a figure recorded only as Drakbal ''('burning man' or 'fire man') emerged from one of the tribes. He united them under a banner of freedom and attempted to overthrow the Ruskar. The Battle of Wainvether Following months of successful liberation, ''Drakbal led his armies against the garrison of Wainvether Keep. The assault was a failure, with Drakbal struck down in a sorcerous duel atop the keep against Ruskar spellcasters. The Battle of Wainvether is still a sore point in history, viewed as the greatest chance and failure of the tribesmen for freedom from the Ruskar. Peace and Unification Following Drakbal's Rebellion the state of Ruskar sought to relieve some of the pressure upon the Northern tribes, relinquishing much of its control from the ice sheets. In the years following, the various tribes unified under a single state in the late 7th century LN with the hope of more effectively defending their borders and resources from Ruskar settlers. Society The Northern Tribes or Balnen ''in their tongue is the taken name of the gathering of the major indigenous tribes of the ice sheets in response to increasing hostility and aggressive expansion of the Ruskar settlers. These tribal lines are still an aspect of their society and some maintain older traditions though most have come to embrace the new unity and the enjoy life in the larger more advanced settlements. The Burning Beast The Northern tribes have an extremely superstitious view of fire. In myth, their ancestors fled to the frozen north to escape a "''great beast of fire and death for whom/ the sun was little more than a teardrop". Campfires and other small artificial flames are considered 'tamed', though larger fires are met with caution and the use of fire magic is severely frowned upon. Ice Hunters A loose tribal group known as the Ice Hunters are known to trade in furs and whale oil dwell in the ever changing Sea of Moving Ice. Many of these groups isolate themselves from outsiders, and will defend their homes when trespassers threaten their way of life. Politics The Northern tribes are strongly unified against the efforts of the Ruskar settlers to expand into their lands. They seek to make allies of any foreign powers sympathetic to their cause or who simply also bear cause to damage Ruskar. Economy The northern tribes have almost no external economic reach. They trade in various curios, such as various true ice materials and the unique greywood, though there is little mass demand for these things outside various reagents. Population The population of the Northern tribes is about 9,000. Just over a third of those live inside or around Balhoh, the unofficial capitol of the ice sheets. The vast majority of this population is human, though some elves with an affinity for the cold live among the tribes. Genasi also make up a portion of the population. Religion The Northern Tribes primarily worship Solonar as the Hunter and as the Balancing Force. They also pay patronage to the Raven Queen as the Biting Cold. Category:Location Category:Etan Category:Human